MSW to host exhibit of Bush paintings

“Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors” to be on display Jan. 20-March 25

Midland Reporter-Telegram
| on December 13, 2017

Photo: Grant Miller

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‘Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors’ to be on display Jan. 2-March 25

Photo: LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images

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Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on February 28, 2017. Former US president George W. Bush released a book featuring a series of 66 portraits of wounded or traumatized veterans he had met who served in the US military in Iraq or Afghanistan following the attacks on September 11, 2001

Photo: LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images

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Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on February 28, 2017. Former US president George W. Bush released a book featuring a series of 66 portraits of wounded or traumatized veterans he had met who served in the US military in Iraq or Afghanistan following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Photo: LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images

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Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on February 28, 2017. Former US president George W. Bush released a book featuring a series of 66 portraits of wounded or traumatized veterans he had met who served in the US military in Iraq or Afghanistan following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Photo: LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images

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Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on February 28, 2017. Former US president George W. Bush released a book featuring a series of 66 portraits of wounded or traumatized veterans he had met who served in the US military in Iraq or Afghanistan following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Photo: LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images

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Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on February 28, 2017. Former US president George W. Bush released a book featuring a series of 66 portraits of wounded or traumatized veterans he had met who served in the US military in Iraq or Afghanistan following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Photo: LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images

Image 7 of 9

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on February 28, 2017. Former US president George W. Bush released a book featuring a series of 66 portraits of wounded or traumatized veterans he had met who served in the US military in Iraq or Afghanistan following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Photo: LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images

Image 8 of 9

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on February 28, 2017. Former US president George W. Bush released a book featuring a series of 66 portraits of wounded or traumatized veterans he had met who served in the US military in Iraq or Afghanistan following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Photo: LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images

Image 9 of 9

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a new exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas, on February 28, 2017. Former US president George W. Bush released a book featuring a series of 66 portraits of wounded or traumatized veterans he had met who served in the US military in Iraq or Afghanistan following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

The Museum of the Southwest announced Wednesday that it will host “Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors” beginning next month. The Midland museum is the first of four venues to display the paintings by former President George W. Bush, according to a press release from the museum.

“Portraits of Courage” will open Jan. 20 and be on display through March 25. It is sponsored by Concho Resources Inc. and Robert E. and Donna Landreth Family Fund at Permian Basin Area Foundation.

“Portraits of Courage” features 66 full-color portraits and a four-panel mural painted by Bush of 98 service members and veterans who have served since 9/11. Each painting is accompanied by the warrior’s story, written by Bush.

In conjunction with “Portraits of Courage,” the Museum of the Southwest will host a workshop taught by Bush’s art teacher, Gail Norfleet, a Dallas-based artist. The workshop, set for Feb. 23-25 at the Blakemore Planetarium classroom, is open to teachers and the general public. Registration for the workshop begins Jan. 4 at museumsw.org. A supply list will be provided.

Veterans and active military personnel visiting the exhibition will receive free admission. An opening cocktail reception is planned for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19. Tickets will be available for purchase at museumsw.org.

The exhibition from the George W. Bush Institute grew out of Bush’s personal commitment and the ongoing work of the Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative, which works to ensure that post-9/11 veterans and their families make successful transitions to civilian life with a focus on gaining meaningful employment and overcoming the invisible wounds of war. The exhibition includes information and resources created by the initiative in support of post-9/11 warriors.

The paintings featured in “Portraits of Courage” are also the subject of a hardcover book by the same name, available now in stores and online. Bush is donating all of the book’s profits to the George W. Bush Presidential Center.